Mr. Speaker, again I am very proud that an official apology has been made. However, it is also important to look at what I mean by “let us move on”. What I mean is that we should educate Canadians about what happened in that incident.

I am a second generation Canadian, but my family history also goes quite far back into British Columbia. I think it is important that we have educational tools to teach people and to tell them what happened. At some point, I would like to take my daughter to that museum and to the monument of the Komagata Maru incident and tell her what happened.

What is important is to educate Canadians. That is exactly what this government has done. It has apologized and moved to educate Canadians about it.

Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to stand in the House today and call attention to Emergency Medical Services Week, which will take place next week.

There are over 30,000 paramedics from coast to coast who are represented by the Emergency Medical Services Chiefs of Canada. Paramedics are the third largest health care provider group in Canada. They serve on the front lines of health care in every community across our nation providing essential care. They are a reliable and constant presence in most remote and rural areas, as well as in our largest cities. Every day, the efforts of the communications staff, paramedics and support staff make a real difference to someone in someone's community.

Emergency Medical Services Week 2012 salutes the men and women of Canada's emergency medical services. I invite hon. members to join me in celebrating the lifelong dedication of emergency medical services professionals to keep Canadians safe.

Mr. Speaker, mark your calendar. From August 2 to 17, 2013, Canada's best athletes will converge on my riding, Sherbrooke, to participate in the Canada Summer Games. We will be proud to welcome them to our community, and I invite all of you to join us for this major sporting event.

The games were first held in 1967 and have become the largest multi-sport competition for young Canadians. This year, 4,200 athletes will compete in 20 different disciplines over the course of two weeks. Under the motto, “Unity through Sport”, the games bring together young Canadian athletes to promote healthy lifestyles, perseverance, fun, team spirit, pushing one's limits and knowledge of Canada's diverse regions and cultures.

The organizers hope to recruit more than 5,000 volunteers. I therefore invite everyone to apply at jeuxducanada2013.ca.

On behalf of the people of Sherbrooke, I invite you to come cheer on our athletes, discover Sherbrooke and the Eastern Townships, and, as they say, “get in the games”.

Mr. Speaker, this year, Kitchener celebrates its 100th anniversary as a city. On June 10, 1912, the town of Berlin became the city of Kitchener, my lifetime home.

Our dynamic city and many public-spirited, hard-working people make me proud to be the member of Parliament for Kitchener Centre.

Just this past week, two Kitchener residents, Randy Rollo and Tara McTeer, were honoured with the Kindred Spirit Award from the Kitchener Downtown Community Health Centre, ROOF, Ray of Hope and the YWCA for their support of the homeless. Both Randy and Tara experienced homelessness and now they give back to those facing similar obstacles.

Randy helped to start the Out of the Cold Shelter program and has volunteered since 1999. Tara is a health worker at Mary's Place and volunteers with many organizations in Kitchener. They are evidence of Kitchener's greatest asset, our generous and hard-working people.

Mr. Speaker, I stand today to recognize the hard work and dedication of Lisa Murphy who is stepping down after 22 years as executive director of the P.E.I. Advisory Council on the Status of Women.

One of her many strengths was that, as a leader, she was also a great listener and empathized with all who walked through her door. As a result, she made such a difference for women in distress and not only fought their cases but worked to better their lives in general.

She was a key member on the premier's action committee on family violence prevention and has worked tirelessly on issues, such as family law and legal aid reform, maintenance enforcement, legislative reviews, voter guides and efforts to have women's unpaid work count. In her own right, Lisa is an accomplished artist.

On behalf of the House of Commons, I congratulate Lisa Murphy and extend to her a sincere thanks for her dedication to advocating for women's rights and promoting women's issues on Prince Edward Island and in Canada.

Mr. Speaker, one week ago today, Londoners of all ages created a night to remember. The London Knights defeated the Niagara Ice Dogs to win the Ontario Hockey League Championship.

The Knights' OHL championship run began with a sweep of the Windsor Spitfires, a six-game series win against Saginaw, a sweep of the Kitchener Rangers and finally, in front of a capacity crowd at the John Labatt Centre, located in my riding of London North Centre, the Knights defeated the Niagara Ice Dogs in five games to win the OHL Championship.

I congratulate Mark and Dale Hunter and the entire London Knights organization, especially forward, Austin Watson, who won the Wayne Gretzky 99 trophy as the OHL playoff MVP.

On behalf of all members of this House, I wish the Knights well as they move on to the Memorial Cup in Shawinigan. They won the cup in 2005 and I know they can do it again this year. I believe I speak for all Londoners when I say, “Go Knights, go”.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to commend the invaluable contribution made by the Regroupement bénévole de Montcalm to the vitality of my riding.

Since 1985, this organization has played a key role in the social development of the people of Montcalm. This organization promotes volunteerism within the community and is well known for its innovative services and its ability to stir people to action.

The Regroupement bénévole de Montcalm is dedicated to improving the quality of life of the people of our community. It fulfills this noble mission remarkably well and the entire community benefits as a result. The organization successfully meets the many needs of the public, through the development of ambitious programs in many areas of activity, for example.

The Regroupement bénévole de Montcalm has become a voice for social justice, respect, solidarity and the promotion of volunteerism. The way it reaches out to the people of Montcalm is key to its success.

Mr. Speaker, two weeks ago, I had the honour of presenting the Diamond Jubilee Medal to 15-year-old Kaitlyn Reimer who was recognized for her impact on those around her.

From a young age, Kaitlyn has been a positive force in the community, from volunteering for Special Olympics to cheering on her teammates. Kaitlyn is known for her humble character, which deflects attention from herself and onto others in need.

In 2010, Kaitlyn's life and that of her family was changed when she was diagnosed with cancer. Determined to make a difference, she started the Katie Cares Foundation to raise money for toys, furniture and games for children in the hospital.

Kaitlyn and her foundation still raise funds and awareness for childhood cancer across southern Manitoba. As Kaitlyn continues her fight with cancer, her most important wish is that her foundation grows and helps families.

Because of her caring and positive attitude, Kaitlyn is an inspiration to so many. Her kindness will never be forgotten. We love Katie very much.

Mr. Speaker, this May, the Canadian National Institute for the Blind wants to make vision health awareness a priority for all Canadians. Seventy-five percent of vision loss is avoidable and yet every 12 minutes in Canada someone loses their vision.

Age-related macular degeneration is the leading cause of vision loss, with over one million Canadians having some form of AMD, including individuals within my riding of Simcoe—Grey. The number of Canadians who experience vision loss is forecasted to double over the next 20 years.

As demographics change in Canada, the cost of vision loss is going to rise, making our health care system even more overburdened and taking a greater toll on Canadians.

In 2011, the Government of Canada announced over $7 million to support the CNIB in its accessible library services, and our government is continuing to support the CNIB and its important work for Canadians.

The CNIB and Vision 220 Canada are working to create a vision plan care for Canada, and I encourage all parliamentarians to advocate for this important health issue.

Mr. Speaker, this coming June, the city of Welland will host its 51st annual Rose Festival.

Every year, Welland, aptly named the rose city of Canada, hosts this festival to encourage community spirit, involvement and pride through many free events and activities.

I wish to recognize this event as it is important to the citizens who live throughout the entire Niagara area. I encourage all members of the community to take part in the wide range of events, including the popular run for the roses and the rose parade.

I also wish to recognize the organizers and coordinators who help to make this event possible, including the president, Jeff Ward; the parade chair, Larry LaRose; the coronation chair, Diane Freeman; and the art show chair, Sam Adams. These outstanding individuals are unpaid volunteers who truly make the festival an existing and worthwhile experience for all. Their level of devotion to preserving cultural heritage and natural beauty is appreciated by all members of the Welland community.

I invite all members of this House to join me in recognizing the hundreds of community festivals happening right across the country and all of the hard-working volunteers who make them happen.

Mr. Speaker, the nations of Canada and Israel, and, indeed, the Jewish community in Hamilton and around the world, lost a remarkable friend at the end of April with the sudden passing of Rose Lax.

Remarkable because she was born in a displaced persons camp to survivors of the Holocaust and yet grew to become an individual lauded for having changed the Jewish political landscape of North America.

Remarkable because of her tireless work to empower university students against the scourge of anti-Semitism on campuses.

Remarkable because Israeli member of the Knesset, Bennie Begin, son of the sixth Israeli prime minister, spoke of the very special connection he felt with Rose and the Lax family since the time of his parents.

We lost a woman of outstanding character and heart in Rose Lax. I, along with my colleagues, the Hon. Stockwell Day and the member for Nepean—Carleton, offer our sincere condolences to Rose's family.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to rise today to share the outstanding achievement of two teams of students at Gladstone Secondary School in Vancouver Kingsway who won first and second prize at the VEX Robotics High School World Championship in Anaheim, California.

Under the guidance of dedicated teachers, Todd Ablett and Paul Wallace, the students combined hundreds of hours of extra work, creativity and a competitive spirit to become the first Canadian team in history to bring home the top prize.

This achievement underscores the importance of a strong public education system in our country. It also demonstrates the critical need to support science and technology in our economy.

Given the opportunity, resources and support, our youth can outshine any team in the world. The bright ideas of our youth today will be the transformative innovations that build the Canada of tomorrow.

I congratulate Gladstone Secondary School and all who participated in this competition on their brilliant success. They have done us all proud.

Mr. Speaker, according to the NDP leader, resource sector workers are a disease. He falsely claims that they are costing Canada jobs elsewhere.

I will set the record straight. Ontario's economy benefits from the development of its own natural resources and, in manufacturing, for the resources sector across the country. Nationally, in 2010, the natural resource sectors employed over 760,000 workers.

Resource development is an important component to the economy and creates hundreds of thousands of direct, indirect and induced jobs across the country.

The NDP leader's politics of division, pitting one region of the country against others and his ill-informed remarks show that his foolish economic policy will raise prices and cost Canadians jobs.

Mr. Speaker, on January 1, 1804, the Republic of Haiti was born. A few months earlier, on May 18, 1803, Haiti adopted a revolutionary flag, which has been the pride of the Haitian people ever since.

Every year, May 18 marks Haiti's anniversary of becoming the first republic in the world to be created out of a slave rebellion. I would like to express the importance of this day to the Haitian diaspora in Canada, especially in the national capital region.

Canadians of Haitian origin have been settling on both sides of the Ottawa River for a long time. Today, Ottawa's Haitian community is more than 20,000 strong. The Haitian diaspora contributes to all sectors of activity, with a notable presence in education, culture, health and law.

On this May 18, 2012, let us celebrate the rich contribution that Canadians of Haitian origin have made to Canada's success.